Wisdom for Children

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. – Proverbs 10:1

You might be surprised to hear that the largest number of proverbs relating to family life are addressed to parents and to children. Let’s begin with God’s wisdom for children.

Always seek to bring joy to your parents
Honor your father and your mother (Ex. 20:12). The word honor means “give weight to” or “regard as heavy.” So, to honor your parents means to give weight to what they say.

If someone asked you to name the sins on which Romans 1 says the wrath of God will come, would you say “disobedience to parents”? It’s there (1:30). Paul says that in the last days people will be lovers of self and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and one of the signs of this is that they will be “disobedient to their parents” (2 Tim. 3:2-4).

Always be willing to learn
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke (13:1). When you are young, you can easily feel that you know it all. But as you grow older you realize that you don’t know as much as you thought you did.

Solomon says, “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (26:12). Why is there more hope for a fool? Because the fool knows that he needs to learn.

This is why the Bible says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (9:10). Wisdom begins when I see that I don’t have it and I need to receive it from the Lord through His Word.

Recognize that you need to learn, and listen to those God has placed around you, starting with your parents.

How would you rate yourself on a scale of (1) “I have all the wisdom I need” to (10) “I still have plenty to learn”?